Guard Keith Hornsby transferring to LSU

Guard Keith Hornsby transferring to LSU

Hornsby leaving UNC-Asheville for Tigers

For the better part of a month, LSU basketball coach Johnny Jones had an extra scholarship at his disposal after freshman guard Corban Collins transfered. Now, it appears another transfer is ready to lay claim to the vacancy.

UNC-Asheville guard Keith Hornsby said late Monday night that he will join the Tigers after spending a little more than two weeks shopping for a new team after leaving behind the Big South program in the wake of a coaching change.

A source close to the LSU program also confirmed the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Hornsby, who is the son of Grammy-award winning musician Bruce Hornsby, would join LSU, which had been in the opposite position during the spring after Collins and froward Jalen Courtney transferred to Moorehead State.

Hornsby received his release in late May after looking at St. Mary’s (Calif.), Miami (Ohio) and LSU as potential landing spots in the wake of former Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach’s departure to become an assistant at UNC-Wilmington.

Nick McDevitt, who had been an assistant on Biendbach’s staff, initially approved of Hornsby, a junior who would have sit out this season under NCAA guidelines, exploring his options. Yet, a visit to North Carolina State prompted McDevitt to close off a return, according to a report in the The Daily Press of Newport News, Va.

“(McDevitt) basically called me and said, ‘Now that this has advanced to this state, there’s no way you could return to Asheville,’ ” Hornsby told The Daily News. “ ‘It just couldn’t be done.’ I disagreed. I have some great options right now that I have an interest in, but at the moment, everything is kind of in a state of flux.”

While he would have to sit, there’s a possibility he could have two years of eligibility left should he use his redshirt year, which is still available.

Last season, the Williamsburg, Va., native averaged 15.0 points, second best on the team, along with 4.2 rebounds in starting all but one of the Bulldogs’ 30 games. Hornsby brings another 3-point shooter in the fold, knocking down a team-leading 37.9 percent of his attempts — a boon once senior Andre Stringer leaves the fold.

Hornsby also played for prep power Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., where he spent his final two high school seasons after leaving behind Hampton Roads Academy.